Glenda Mackie Bio

Glenda Mackie

I am a 500RYT yoga instructor and dance teacher/choreographer. I am passionate about somatic practices that encourage us to care for the body, mind, and spirit. Movement has been my primary form of expression and experimentation for decades! As a teacher, I create a safe environment for learning and personal discovery. I encourage my students to listen to and honor the teacher that lies within, breath by breath, on and off the mat.

Glenda is a movement researcher, professional dancer/ choreographer, and Yoga Instructor 200RYT. She has spent the greater part of her life studying numerous movement modalities such as dance, yoga, tai chi, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Technique, and Body Mind Centering to name a few. She received her BFA in dance from Tisch School of the Arts, NYU. She left New York and returned home to Raleigh to care for her mother who was diagnosed with Cancer in 1985. Her mother, Lemma Mackie was the founder of Arts Together, Inc. and Glenda cared for her vision directing the dance program at Arts Together, Inc. as well as the Rainbow Dance Company for twenty years. During this time, she performed with Even Exchange Dance Theater and the contact improvisation quartet, THEM. She still joyfully teaches at Arts Together and is a choreographer for the multi - age Rainbow Dance Company. In 2005 Glenda accepted a teaching position at Enloe High School. She taught dance and yoga at Enloe from 2005 – 2016. Her passion for sharing mind/body practices with teens led her and fellow teacher Courtney Greer to co - author a course entitled Whole Body Wellness.

Additionally, Glenda is a NC A+ Fellow training teachers in how to integrate arts curriculum into their course content to better educate and engage the whole child. She offers workshops in Practices for Optimal Brain Function, sharing developmental movement and meditation techniques with public school teachers.

Glenda discovered the many benefits of yoga twenty years ago when healing from a ruptured disc. She found that yoga addressed not only her physical healing, but her mental and emotional healing as well. In an effort to deepen her practice she completed a 200 hr. teacher training in EmbodiYoga with Lisa Clark, Patti Townsend, and David Beadle. This training set the stage for a personal journey focused on self - study, self - care, and community engagement. That was about sixteen years ago. A lifelong learner, Glenda recently completed another excellent 200 hr. training at Blue Lotus in Raleigh, NC under the direction of Jill Sockman. She is currently pursuing her 500 hr. certification at Blue Lotus.

Glenda is grateful for her many teachers and loves sharing her passion for practices that address wellness in a holistic manner. She believes that everyone can benefit from the transformative practice of yoga. In her classes, workshops, and private lessons she guides her students to embrace their personal power, release tension, and cultivate ease in the body, mind, and spirit. From this peaceful place of awareness, we can access the grace and wisdom of the compassionate heart.

Techniques I teach/provide:

Vinyasa, Gentle and Slow Flows, Restorative Yoga, Teen Yoga

I've been at Evolve since:

Years ago I took Carson’s class when her space was in the 5 points area! I even taught briefly in that space.

When I'm not teaching at Evolve, you can find me:

Study, meditate, long walks, dance and choreograph, gather with special humans for yummy foods and drinks and singalongs!

My favorite thing about teaching at Evolve is:

I am always grateful to be part of a community of people who value health and well - being.

My morning routine is:

Look outside, move around in bed to loosen the joints, water and probiotics then 1 cup of Joe and some foods. After, I scurry out to teach OR check the planner to confirm the day’s events!

I'm inspired by:

Time in nature, good conversation, the arts, quiet time and trying/learning something new.

Best advice I've received:

My mother used to say, “The only way out is through”. I love this and do my best to breathe my way through whatever arises.